Moments together
by Rufus-sama
Summary: A collection of 10 fluff stories for the 10 per genre challenge community on LJ. Yes, that means 10 TsengRufus yaoi fluffy stories. Some humor thrown in too. There's 2 seperate stories for prompt 5 because I liked them both and couldn't decide.
1. Chapter 1

1. Cuddle

'Rufus there really is not enough room on this chair for two people.' Tseng looked around the room and found 3 empty chairs and one empty couch. 'Is there anything wrong with the other seats in this room?'

Rufus smiled down at him and made himself comfortable in Tseng's lap.

'Tseng, I'm disappointed in your inability to be creative. There is more then enough room on this chair for two people.'

The Turk laughed at Rufus' "insult". 'Creative? I'm not seeing where creativity comes into play here.'

Tseng found himself laughing again when Rufus looked at him and pouted. 'Of course it comes into play here. Think about it; two people want the same chair. One person was already sitting in it while the second person, who is both lighter in weight and more handsome, wanted the chair as well. Since neither person wants to give up the chair, it's time to get creative and figure out how to make both happy. In this case, it would be to share the chair.'

Tseng shook his head. 'So by "sharing the chair", you mean sitting on me and taking me away from the television show I was watching?'

Rufus smiled. 'That would be about right.'

Wrapping his arms around the blond's waist, he felt Rufus sink into his embrace. Resting his chin on the younger man's head, he sat in silence, enjoying their quiet moment together. 

Rufus wrapped his arms around Tseng's chest, closing his eyes and breathing in his lover's scent. After a few minutes, Rufus broke the silence. 'You really can't tell me that you mind sharing this chair with me Tseng. If you were to tell me that you did mind sharing, I would then tell you that that I'd get up, but then I'd be lying and I wouldn't want to lie to you about something like that.'

Tseng laughed and hugged his charge closer to him. 'No can do. You're not getting up now.'

'Why not? Admit it; you like having me sit here with you.'

'It's not that at all. It's that I'm rather comfortable and warm now and if you were to get up, I'd be cold and I can't allow that to happen. You're staying here until I have to get up whether you like it or not. Think of it as punishment for disturbing my TV show.'

It was Rufus' turn to laugh. He shook his head and cuddled up closer to Tseng. _If this is punishment,_ he thought to himself, _I should do this more often._


	2. Chapter 2

02. Simple gift

Throwing himself onto his couch, Tseng sighed with relief. It had been a very tiring day for the Turk; watching the new army recruits, guarding Rufus while he inspected the recruits, sparring with a few of them to see if he deemed them potential Turk material, getting the paperwork ready, having the new Turk recruits fill out the paperwork, file the paperwork then give the paperwork to the President.

Aside from the occasional noise from Dark Nation who was sleeping in his bed, the room was engrossed in complete silence. Tseng relished it and soon enough, he was asleep.

He was awakened some time later by a gentle kiss on his lips. He smiled when he saw the bright blue eyes that greeted him when he awoke.

His lover smiled down at him. 'Good evening sleepy head.'

'Good evening? It can't be more then 5 in the afternoon.'

Rufus laughed, 'No, it's 8:00 in the evening. I got home a couple of hours ago and I wanted to wake you up then but, you really looked like you needed the rest, so I decided to wait.'

Tseng frowned, he hadn't intended to sleep that long. He had meant to take Rufus out to dinner, just the two of them. They hadn't had much time alone lately and Rufus was stressing himself out with all the work he gave himself. Tseng had wanted to do something special for him but given that he fell asleep, the plan fell through.

Rufus noted the frown on Tseng's face. 'What's wrong? Is the couch not comfy enough for you? It is the highest quality one they had available. As comfortable as a real bed or so I was told.'

'I didn't mean to sleep this long.'

'It's not a big deal. At least one of us will be refreshed in the morning. Did you eat yet?'

Tseng shook his head. 'No, I meant to do something for dinner but obviously that fell through.'

Rufus smiled. 'Don't worry about it. Come on, get up. Let's see what we have in the kitchen.'

Reluctantly, Tseng got up from the couch and followed Rufus towards the kitchen. Rufus stopped in front of the dining room and smiled at Tseng.

'The kitchen is further down that way, Rufus.'

Rufus gestured towards the dining room. 'We don't have to go _that_ far for food Tseng. It's all right here.'

Tseng stared in awed silence at the dining room table. Dinner for two, candlelit, two glasses of wine and a wonderful smelling wutainese meal were laid out for them. He turned to Rufus, surprise and happiness showing on his face.

'Rufus, what is all this for?'

Rufus shrugged, 'It's just dinner Tseng and before you ask; no, I did not make it myself. I didn't want to burn the building down so I had the cook make it. I asked him to make some authentic Wutain food for you. I hope that he did well and that you'll like it.'

'What's the occasion?'

Rufus walked to his lover, hugged him and laid his head on his chest. 'There's no occasion. I just wanted to give you something for all the work you've done for me lately. I haven't seen you much and I missed you. I wanted to give you something else, but I couldn't think of something better then this on such short notice. I just thought of this as I was leaving the office.'

Tseng returned the embrace. 'I missed you too; even if we do work together we haven't had much time together. Don't apologize for the dinner. This is really the best thing I've received in a while. Time with you and good food, you really can't get much better then that.'


	3. Chapter 3

03. Touch

'Rufus, what are you doing?'

Tseng removed his lover's arm from around his waist and turned around to face Rufus.

'I wasn't doing anything.'

Tseng sighed, more cranky and annoyed then upset at being woken up at 2:30 in the morning by a near death grip around his waist.

'We have a king sized bed which gives us more then enough space to sleep in. Is there anything wrong with your side of the bed that is making you come to mine? A spring in your back or something?'

Rufus shrunk back to his side of the bed, slightly hurt by Tseng's comments.

'No, there's nothing really wrong with it. I didn't mean to wake you and I apologize. Good night Tseng.'

He turned on his side facing away from Tseng and stared at the wall in front of him. He knew that Tseng was still staring at him, maybe even feeling slightly guilty for snapping at him but he didn't want to turn around and explain to him why he wanted to cuddle so close to him at this time of night.

Tseng saw the hurt look flash across Rufus' features and instantly felt bad for snapping at him. He went to apologize for what he said when Rufus turned around to go back to sleep. He knew that Rufus generally never woke up at night, nor slept that close to him unless something was bothering him.

He lightly ran his fingers through Rufus' hair. 'No, don't apologize Rufus, I should be the one apologizing. It's just that I was tired and I do get a little cranky when I get woken up unexpectedly, you know that. Come on, tell me what's wrong.'

Rufus shrugged, still staring at the wall. 'Nothing. It's fine. Go back to sleep Tseng. Tomorrow is a long day.'

Tseng laughed, 'Can you remember a day that hasn't been long Rufus? You need to sleep as well and I have a feeling that you won't be sleeping for the rest of the night. Please, tell me what's wrong.'

'It's rather silly and pointless. It'll pass.'

'You dreamed about it again didn't you?'

Tseng knew that Rufus still dreamed of the tower explosion that nearly took his life three years ago. He heard Rufus talk often enough in his sleep to know that it traumatized him more then Rufus would ever admit. Tseng was usually a light enough sleeper so he was usually woken up by his lover's pleas for help in his sleep. When they woke him up, Tseng would hold Rufus close and he would usually calm down and go back to sleep. This time, it seemed that he didn't hear them.

Rufus turned away from the wall and looked at Tseng, noticing the concern etched on his face.

'How did you know that I dream about that?'

'You talk in your sleep when you're dreaming about it.'

Rufus hung his head, 'I do?'

'Yes, you do.' Tseng lay back down on his side of the bed, arm stretched out to Rufus. 'Would it make you feel better to lay with me? I promise that I won't let the dreams come back and wake you up.'

Rufus smiled and went to lie beside his lover. He sighed and relaxed when Tseng wrapped his arms around him and drifted off to sleep, safe in Tseng's embrace.


	4. Chapter 4

04. Tickle

Tseng sighed, annoyed that Rufus had moved at least 50 times in the last two minutes while he was trying to do something as simple as fixing Rufus' tie. At last, he dropped his hands to his sides, trying his best to give Rufus an evil stare.

'Would you stop moving already! Do you have some kind of condition that I should be made aware of that's causing you to move so much?'

Rufus muffled his laughter and stopped moving. 'I'm sorry Tseng. Please, do continue.'

Tseng went back Rufus' neck, raising the younger man's collar to adjust the tie around his neck. When Rufus started laughing yet again, it seemed to have sent Tseng over the edge.

'_What_ is so damn funny about tying a stupid tie? The faster I get this on you, the quicker you'll get it off. I thought you'd be upset about having to wear a tie, not _laughing_ about it.'

Rufus tried to stop laughing while Tseng scolded him, but he wasn't able to. Tseng was still trying to fix the tie at the same time, which was distracting him.

'I'm sorry. I'll be the picture of quiet, I promise.' He walked away from Tseng for a few moments to gather his bearings. After stretching a bit and taking a few deep breaths, he returned to the older man and smiled. 'Ok, I'm ready. Tie this stupid thing already.'

'Are you sure this time?'

Rufus looked incredulously at Tseng. 'What do you mean "are you sure"? Of course I'm sure that I'm sure. Go ahead, tie this tie around my neck so we can finish this night.'

Tseng didn't seem to believe that he was ready, but he decided to try again all the same. When he went back to the tie around his charge's neck to adjust it, he noticed that Rufus began smiling again but didn't laugh. Happy that he remained quiet, Tseng lowered Rufus' collar, flattening it down with the palm of his hand. This action sent a new fit of laughter through his lover.

'Alright that's it! What's so damn funny?'

Rufus stopped laughing and stared in surprise at his partner. 'What's so funny? You haven't figured it out yet? It tickles! That's why I'm laughing. You're doing it purposely too. I know that you know that I'm really ticklish around my neck.'

Tseng had to smile to himself. 'Yes Rufus, I know you're ticklish. I also thought you had more self-control then this and wouldn't laugh every other second, wasting time when there are people at that banquet waiting to speak to you.'

'You kept rubbing my neck when you didn't have to touch it! How am I supposed to have self-control when you do that to me?'

'You're a President. You are supposed to handle situations that go beyond the regular realm of self-control.'

Rufus crossed his arms and huffed, 'Very funny Tseng. So you did this purposely and it's my fault? How did that happen?'

Tseng laughed at Rufus' reaction. 'I don't know. You're the one accusing me of doing this purposely. I'm merely defending myself against your accusations.'

'You have an ulterior motive. I know you do.'

'Maybe I do.' Tseng flashed a feral smile and kissed his young lover 'I'm curious to see just how ticklish you are in other places aside from your neck.'

Rufus understood the meaning behind his lover's words. 'Well, in the sake of ensuring that you are as familiar with me as possible so that you can properly ensure my safety, I believe that this is an excellent idea Tseng.' He returned Tseng's kiss and allowed himself to be led to the couch at the far side of the room.

'Tseng?'

'Yes Rufus?'

'What are we going to say to the guests when we arrive there late?'

'Tell them you had problems with your tie.'


	5. Chapter 5

05. Shiver

Enjoying one of his rare quiet evenings to Tseng meant reading his favorite book with a glass of wine, while sitting in his favorite chair next to the fireplace. Rufus always complained to him that this was something that was "too relaxing and boring" for him to consider and left him alone to it. Rufus stayed in the living room with him though, either watching TV or trying to get Tseng to drop the book and focus on him. Tonight was one of the nights that Rufus was trying to get his attention.

Tseng lifted his eyes from his book and glanced at the blond straddling him. 'Rufus, I'm reading my book. Isn't the TV show that you like on right now?'

Rufus smiled, 'It is, but it's a rerun tonight.'

'Don't you usually like watching the reruns too?'

'It's a boring episode.'

'I see.' Tseng gently shook his head then returned to his book, ignoring the young blond on his lap.

Rufus bit his lip thinking of how to possibly pull Tseng's attention from his book and onto him. He decided that playing the cute, innocent lover ploy would be a good way to do it. He knew Tseng was weak to that one.

Rufus squirmed a little in his lovers lap to attract his attention and tried to distract Tseng in a sing-song voice. 'Tseng...I'm bored!'

Tseng frowned. 'Why don't you pick up reading? It's great for the imagination.'

Rufus pouted. 'Because I already have an overactive imagination and I don't need to stimulate it anymore. Can't you think of anything else?'

'You could always pick up a hobby, like art or music or something similar. You could also use the remote and change the channel on the TV and see what else is on.'

Rufus sat still for a moment, trying to think of what to do next to attract Tseng's attention. He decided that since the subtle approach wasn't working, he'd go for the direct one. He lifted Tseng's arms so that he could snake his way in between him and the book and settled his head in the crook of his lover's neck.

'Rufus, what in planet's name are you doing?'

'I'm making myself comfortable. Do you mind?'

'Well, no, but I was in the middle of something.'

'You still can read your book you know. I'm not blocking your view.'

Tseng tried his best to ignore the young man now resting himself fully on his body. 'Are you trying to distract me from my book Rufus?'

He could feel Rufus smile against his neck. 'Now why would you think that? If I really did want to distract you, I'd be doing something other then resting my head on your shoulder, right?'

'Yes, I suppose you are right.'

Rufus grinned, 'I know I'm right Tseng. Then again, so are you.'

Tseng tried to suppress a shudder when Rufus began nibbling on his ear. Even if he managed to suppress most of it, he shuddered just enough for Rufus to feel it. That made Rufus smile even wider.

'Is something wrong Tseng?'

'Not at all sir. It's getting to be a rather pivotal moment in the book and I was in the moment. I'm sorry if I disturbed you.'

'That's quite alright Tseng.' Rufus went back to his partner's neck and his mission of distracting his lover.

Feeling Rufus kiss his neck was something that Tseng had a very hard time ignoring. This time, when his partner started gently blowing on the wet spots he left along his neck, he was unable to hide the shiver that went down his spine. He marked his page and set his book down. Grabbing Rufus by the shoulders, Tseng removed him from around his neck.

Rufus smiled innocently at his lover. 'Did I make you put the book down? I'm sorry, that truly wasn't my intention.'

'Of course not Rufus. You were only blowing in my ear and kissing my neck just for the fun of it.'

'And for the fun of watching you shiver, shudder and squirm. Those were all equally entertaining.'

'I'm going to get you back for this.'

Rufus looked into Tseng's eyes, filled with a mix of lust and hope. 'You are going to get me back for that right now aren't you?'

'Absolutely.'


	6. Chapter 6

05. Shiver

Enjoying one of his rare quiet evenings to Tseng meant reading his favorite book with a glass of wine, while sitting in his favorite chair next to the fireplace. Rufus always complained to him that this was something that was "too relaxing" for him to consider and left him alone to it. Rufus stayed in the living room with him, either watching TV or trying to get Tseng to drop the book and focus on him.

Tseng found it odd that tonight Rufus was not doing either one. He marked his page, put his book on the table then got up to search the apartment for his young lover.

'Rufus where are you?'

When silence was his only answer, he started to worry. Rufus wasn't the type to not answer when someone called for him, especially when it was Tseng. He searched throughout the apartment and finally found him in their bed, shivering from the non-existent cold with two comforters covering him.

'Rufus, what are you doing in here?'

Rufus lifted heavy-lidded eyes up to Tseng. 'I'm cold.'

'How can you be cold? You have two comforters over you and you're wearing my sweat shirt. You should be boiling, not freezing.'

'Maybe you turned down the heat so that I'd freeze.'

Tseng noticed the small beads of sweat on Rufus' forehead. Concern slowly crept into his voice. 'Are you feeling alright?'

Rufus nodded weakly. 'I'm fine. I'm just cold.'

Tseng knelt beside the head of the bed and put his hand on Rufus' head. Rufus began to shiver at his touch and tried to push Tseng's hand away.

'You're cold. Don't touch me.'

Tseng tried to suppress his worry. The last time he saw Rufus this ill and hot was when he had Geostigma. Not wanting to think about that time, he pushed the thought away and concentrated on trying to cool his partner down. He pulled away one of the comforters that Rufus had since it wasn't necessary.

'Hey! Give that back.'

'You don't need it.'

'I'm cold, of course I need it.'

'You have a fever, you don't need it.'

'I do? That explains why I'm so cold then.'

Tseng looked at him for a moment, then went to the washroom to wet a cloth with cold water. When he came back, Rufus had taken off the other comforter and was shivering.

'Why did you take it off?'

'I didn't want to overheat if I'm already hot.'

Tseng nodded and sat next to him on the bed to lay the cloth on Rufus' head. Another shiver escaped from his lover when the cold cloth touched his hot skin.

Tseng sat quietly at his side, trying to lower the fever. After a few minutes, a small, weak voice came from the bed. 'Tseng?'

'Yes Rufus?'

'I'm cold again.'

Tseng sighed, worried about his lover's health, hoping that the fever would go down quickly.

'I know you are. I'm doing all I can to get you to feel better as fast as possible.'

'Can you do me a favor?'

'Of course.'

Rufus slowly opened his eyes and gave Tseng a small smile. 'Could you lay down with me and keep me warm until I fall asleep?'

Tseng couldn't help but smile at the request. 'Alright, I'll do that for you Rufus. I promise that I'll be here when you wake up too.'

Tseng gently got into bed, putting his arm under his lover's neck and pulled him close. Rufus allowed Tseng to move him until Tseng was comfortable, then cozied himself up to his chest.

'Thank you, Tseng.'

Tseng smiled and lightly kissed his head. 'You're welcome Rufus.'


	7. Chapter 7

06. Sunrise/Sunset

Tseng had wanted to make Saturday evening special. Rufus had been putting in a lot of extra hours at the office and he wanted to give the President an evening of reprieve from duty, where it would be only the two of them enjoying each others company. He spent days trying to think of the perfect place to bring Rufus to dinner and where he would take him after the meal. In the end, he opted for something simple; a picnic off the Costan Coast watching Rufus' favorite daily event; the sunset.

Wanting it to be a surprise, he didn't tell Rufus anything about it. He told Rufus that he had an emergency meeting that he had to go to immediately. He convinced Reno to help with his cause and the redhead was more then happy to pilot the helicopter to Costa for the two lovebirds. If nothing else, it would give him and Rude some quality time alone while Tseng helped Rufus relax.

'I have an emergency meeting?'

'Yes sir, you do.'

Rufus looked skeptical. 'It just so happens that the meeting popped up within the last five minutes and I have to fly with three Turks to get to it?'

Tseng smiled while Reno tried not to laugh. 'That's the thing about emergency meetings sir, they happen minutes before the attendants are notified.'

'That's not funny Tseng.'

'I'm sorry Rufus. If you please, we have to leave right away if we want to make it in time.'

'What time does the meeting start?'

'At 7:30 pm. If we leave now, we should make it with about a half-hour to spare.'

Still skeptical, Rufus entered the helicopter. When Reno took off, Rufus shot Tseng a suspicious glance.

'Is something wrong Rufus?'

Rufus shrugged. 'I know you're planning something. I have no idea what, but I know you are. Care to share some of the details?'

Tseng laughed at his lover's impatience. 'If you don't know what I have planned, why don't you forget about it until we get there if it's bothering you so much.'

Rufus tried to hide that he was a little excited to know what his lover had planned, but Tseng could tell that he was eager to know what the surprise was; Rufus never was able to hide his feelings from Tseng.

About a half-hour later they landed in Costa Del Sol.

'So my "emergency meeting" is in Costa huh? Well, at least this explains why both Reno and Rude came with us instead of just Reno. So where are we going? Where is the "emergency meeting" being held?'

'I can't tell you that yet. You have to close your eyes.'

Rufus stared at his lover in shock. 'I have to _what_?'

'You heard me, close your eyes. Since I know you're going to try to sneak a peek if you were just to leave your eyes shut, Reno was gracious enough to bring a blindfold for you.'

Rufus didn't have time to argue about the blindfold. Reno had it on him before Tseng had finished his sentence.

'I really don't care what's waiting for me when we get there Tseng. If you let me trip even once, I swear I will kill you.'

Tseng couldn't help but laugh despite the threat. 'You won't fall. It's a straight line and there's nothing in your way. If you trip it'll be over your own feet and that's not my fault.'

Tseng nodded to Reno and Rude, effectively dismissing them for the evening. He then turned to lead Rufus to the beach and the picnic that he set up for the two of them. After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at the secluded area of the beach and stopped.

'Are we there yet?'

'Yes we're here.'

'Good, could you remove this blindfold then?'

'No, but you can take it off.'

Rufus reached up and removed the blindfold, allowing a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the sun. When he was able to see clearly, he saw the blanket on the beach, with his favorite meal prepared and laid out for them.

While he was looking at the setting, he felt two strong arms wrapped around his shoulders and a pair of lips kiss his cheek. A smile formed on his face as he turned to face his lover.

'What is all of this for Tseng?'

'It's not for anything specific, Rufus. I just wanted to give you a relaxing weekend, that's all. You've been too stressed lately. Besides, what better place to relax then on the beach at sunset, enjoying a meal with the one you love?'

Rufus kissed his lover as a thank you, then went to dig in. When he was done, he stared at the sunset, mesmerized by its beauty.

'Rufus, I never asked you why you liked sunsets so much. I must admit that it is something that has me rather curious.'

Without moving his gaze from the sight in front of him, Rufus explained; 'My mother and I always used to watch the sunset when I was younger. It was the only time where we'd be able to relax and unwind together from everything bad that had happened during the day. I guess you could say that I still look at it now because it calms me down, it's kind of like a tradition and it reminds me of my mother.'

Discarding his dinner plate, Tseng propped himself behind Rufus, wrapping his arms around him to gently coax Rufus to lean on him. His young lover leaned back on Tseng's chest, holding the hands that were around his waist.

'You still miss her, don't you.'

Rufus nodded his head.

Knowing that the nod would be the only answer he was going to receive, Tseng continued. 'I don't want you to think that I'm trying to take her place in the least bit, but I think that maybe it's time for a new tradition.'

Rufus turned to look at his lover, questioning what he meant by that statement.

'New tradition?'

'You can always watch the sunset with someone else that loves you, just like she did.'

Rufus smiled and turned back to the sunset. He cuddled up to Tseng as close as he could, happier and more relaxed then he had been in a while.

'That's a good idea. I couldn't imagine sharing this with anyone other then you.'

Smiling, Tseng rested his chin on the younger man's head, silently watching the sun go down for the night.


	8. Chapter 8

07. Blush

'You know sir, I think he likes you.'

Rufus looked up at Reno, confused by his statement and surprised that he would try to start such a conversation with him.

'Excuse me?'

'I said that I think he likes you, sir.'

Rufus shook his head, 'That's what I thought you said. Who are we referring to Reno?'

'Tseng sir.'

At the mention of Tseng's name, Rufus turned his head away from Reno. 'And what makes you say that?'

Reno noticed that Rufus averted his gaze when Tseng's name was mentioned. He smiled to himself, _I knew I was right about them._

'Because he spends all his time with you sir and never complains about it. He doesn't do that unless he really likes the person. In your case, he really likes you. I also think it's safe to say that you really like him too.'

'What makes you say that?'

Reno smiled, 'Because you blushed when I mentioned Tseng's name.'

Rufus turned to face the redhead. 'I did not blush. I _do not_ blush. Ever. Remember that, Turk.'

Reno's smile grew even wider when the Vice-President tried to hide his feelings. 'Alright sir, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. How is your training coming along? Is Tseng a good teacher?'

Rufus nodded. 'Yes, he's a very good teacher. Did you know that hit the bulls eye on every shot? How did he do that? I wish I'd be able to do that. He said at lunch yesterday that I'd be able to do that one day with more practice. How many hours a day do you think he practiced to get that good? I mean, I know a lot of people can shoot really well, but I don't know if I've ever heard of someone getting the bulls eye _every time_ and not coming close to hitting the edge of it. His shots were always dead center. You think he'll keep teaching me? It would be fun if he did. I'm sure I could learn a lot from him.'

Reno casually reclined on the wall and let the teenager ramble on about Tseng. He found it highly amusing to see Rufus Shinra acting like a love sick school boy. When he got the feeling that Rufus was not going to stop talking about Tseng on his own, he cut the Vice-President off.

'Sir?'

'What Reno? I was talking.'

'No, you weren't sir.'

'What do you call it then?'

'You were babbling about Tseng and how great of a shot he was, sir.'

Rufus felt the blush slowly creep up on his face again. He tried to turn away before it was too noticeable, but Reno caught it.

'I knew it! You know what, neither one of you can tell each other that you like the other, that's fine. I'm enjoying the looks that you guys give each other when you think no one is looking.'

'Looks?'

'Yes, looks. The smiles, the stares, the longing gazes each of you give the other when the other one isn't looking. The way you two go right to each other when you enter the room. You two don't even notice what you two do those things. It's quite cute. Really, carry on.'

Before Rufus had a chance to reply, Reno made his way to the elevator to go back to his office. He was hoping to run into Tseng so that he could bug him about this as well. It was too much fun to pass up.

Rufus watched the Turk leave. _I can't like Tseng, it's just not possible. I mean sure I like the fact that he's polite, caring, protective, sweet, funny and dead gorgeous, but that doesn't mean that I like him. Does it?_ Rufus made his way to his office to sit and think about his feelings for Tseng.


	9. Chapter 9

08. Cold winter night

'You have _got_ to be kidding me.' Rufus hit the heater in the room, hoping that beating it senseless would bring it back to life.

Tseng heard the commotion in the main room and ventured out of the bedroom only to find Rufus beating senselessly on the heater.

'Why are you beating on an inanimate object? Didn't you take anger management classes so that you would stop doing that?'

Rufus stopped mid-swing and looked at Tseng. 'Yes I did, but I'm going to need them again when we get out of here.' He returned to hitting the heater, not thinking that hitting it more would be a problem.

'Rufus, stop that. You didn't answer my question.'

'Yes I did. I said that I did take anger management classes.'

'I meant the question before that. Why are you beating on the heater?'

Rufus turned to his lover and, in a voice that was dramatic for Rufus, answered him. 'Because it decided to stop working _now_ of all times. It's supposed to be freezing outside tonight. Never mind the fact that it's always cold around here to begin with.'

Tseng was slightly confused and didn't try to hide it.

'Let me see if I get this right. You're complaining because it's going to be cold outside tonight, that the heater is broken and you don't want to get cold. Am I right?'

Rufus sighed exasperated, '_YES!_ It's supposed to go below zero out there! It'll be freezing in here. Why did I agree to come here when I knew something like this was going to happen? We'll freeze to death.'

Tseng stared at Rufus, trying not to appear too stunned and trying not to start laughing at the desperate, panicked look the other's face.

After regaining his composure, he shook his head, 'Rufus, it was _your_ idea to come to Icicle for a ski trip so the fact that you're here is your own fault. Secondly, why are you so worried about a heater anyway? We'll be fine in here.'

Rufus stared in shock 'We'll be fine? Did you temporarily go deaf when I said that it's going below zero tonight?'

'I didn't miss that, but really, must you be so dramatic? We're not out there, we're in here.'

'What's your point? We could still freeze.'

'We're in a five star hotel. I'm sure they can afford to have the walls insulated enough to prevent the rooms from freezing. There is also a furnace in this hotel which is running right now. So I ask you again, why are you so worried about a heater?'

'Because I'm going to freeze in here without it. I'm already cold and it's not below zero yet.'

Tseng smiled and walked across the room to Rufus. When he got there, Tseng embraced his lover and lightly kissed his head. 'You know, you don't need that heater to keep you warm. You have a fully functional heater standing right here who is more then willing to make sure you don't freeze from the cold outside.'

Rufus leaned into Tseng's embrace, soaking in his heat, trying to warm himself up. He smiled when his lover offered himself as his heater. 'Are you sure that you'll be enough? You know me Tseng, I do get very cold at night.'

'I wouldn't worry about that,' Tseng said resting his chin on the younger man's head. 'If you happen to get any colder tonight, I'm sure I could think of a couple things to warm you up.'


	10. Chapter 10

09. Playful

When Tseng felt Rufus jab him in the shoulder, he knew that they were going to be in for an interesting evening.

'Rufus, what was that for?' A smile appeared on his face when he looked up at the blond, who was trying to look innocent.

'What was what for?' He tried his best to give Tseng a "what did I do look", but was failing. 'You don't think that I would do anything to _you_, now do you?'

'Well, _someone_ hit me in the shoulder and you're the only one here.'

Rufus feigned shock. 'Someone _hit_ you? In the shoulder no less? That's just not right. I promise that I will not rest until the culprit is found!' Rufus then started to look around the living room to find the "culprit".

Tseng shook his head. It was rare to see Rufus in a playful mood and he intended to enjoy it. He followed behind the blond, trying to suppress a laugh each time Rufus went to look behind a chair and yelled "aha! got you!"

'Would it help in your search if I described the culprit to you Rufus?'

Rufus grabbed a pen and a pad from the table then turned to look at Tseng. 'Of course it would! I didn't think that the victim got a view of the assailant. Now please Tseng, describe this individual to me, in detail.'

'Well, he's about 5'10" with blond hair and blue eyes.'

Rufus nodded his head as he was writing. 'Alright, so he's my height and has the same hair and eye color as me, interesting. Do carry on.'

'He's about average weight for that height, maybe a bit less though since he doesn't eat half as often as he should.'

Rufus muttered low enough so that Tseng wouldn't hear him, 'Maybe if someone would come and rip him from his work and eat with him he'd eat more often.'

Tseng heard what Rufus said, but chose to act like he didn't. 'What was that?'

'What was what? I was going over the description. Now plese, what was the perpetrator wearing.'

'He's wearing white socks, white pants and a black shirt. Which, might I add, he looks very sexy in.'

Rufus stared at him, pretending to be hurt. 'So you thought that the person that hit you was sexy? I'll find that guy yet I swear it!'

Tseng slowly walked up to his young lover and took the paper and pen from his hands. He then whispered in Rufus' ear, 'I know who did it.'

'Oh really?' Rufus couldn't help but smile, 'And who would it be that would actually have the nerve to hit you?'

'The person that has the nerve to hit me is the one that I have the nerve to tickle right now.'

'So the culprit is ticklish too? Wow, he really is a lot like me. Do you think I have a twin?'

Tseng smiled, 'I highly doubt it. They broke the mould with you. Just admit it and you won't get tickled to death.'

Rufus looked up at him, still trying to "prove" his innocence. 'Admit it? I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Alright, have it your way.' Tseng began tickling his charge where Rufus was most ticklish, which happened to be almost everywhere.

Throughout his fits of laughter, Rufus still tried to maintain his innocence, 'I didn't do it! I'd...I'd never do something like that to you!'

'Then I'd like for you to find out the boy's name for me so I can tickle him instead.'

Rufus tried to break away from the hands that were travelling freely on his body, but Tseng was straonger and quicker. He dragged Rufus and himself to the bed, fell on his charge and continued to tickle him.

Gasping and out of breath from the tickling, Rufus spoke up 'Alright, alright! You win.'

'Good, I knew you'd see it my way eventually. Now, what's the name of the person who hit me?'

After the last fits of laugher left him, he finally noticed that Tseng was straddling him on the bed. Not wanting to let _this_ moment go to waste either, he told Tseng what he had wanted to know.

'The assailant's name is Rufus Shinra and what he did to you was mean beyond words. He hopes that you'll be able to forgive him and he's more then willing to do whatever it takes, or let you do whatever you want, so that you will forgive him.' Rufus grinned up at his lover. 'So, did you want to do something to teach me a lesson about hitting you? Or do I have to hit you again?'

Tseng couldn't help but laugh. There always was an ulterior motive when Rufus felt like playing around.


	11. Chapter 11

10. Crush

'I think he likes you.'

Tseng looked at the redhead slightly confused. 'Who likes me?'

'The Vice-President. I think he likes you.'

Tseng looked at him as if he were crazy. 'Have the cigarettes and liquor finally dwindled your brain away to nothing Reno? There is no way that he would like me.'

Reno laughed at Tseng's cluelessness. 'Ah man, you are _so_ blind. What's funnier, or sadder depending on how you look at it, is that he's probably oblivious to the fact that you like him too.'

Tseng turned to glare at Reno, 'Don't presume you know my feelings about anyone Reno. Especially when it concerns the Vice-President.'

Reno raised an eyebrow. 'And why the Vice-President specifically? Why are you so concerned about him?'

'Because it's my responsibility to ensure his safety, that's why.'

'No, it's your responsibility to ensure the President's safety, not the Vice-President's.' Reno tried to think of something that he could use to prove to Tseng that he actually _liked_ Rufus. He figured that nothing worked better then having him talk about the boy.

'Alright, forget I said anything about it and lets just change the subject. How is his training coming along? Is he still missing the target?'

'He's doing really well. He's hitting the target 90 of the time. Most of those shots are right around the bulls eye and a few of them actually hit the bulls eye. He wanted to try a shotgun yesterday but I told him that it wasn't wise to do that right now. I want him to perfect a hand gun first then we'll move on to something else. After lunch we went through some basic self-defense which didn't go over too badly. Did you know that he loves hamburgers? Who would have thought huh? I pictured him as looking down on those kinds of meals, but he loves them.'

Reno was staring at his boss in shock. 'Uhh, sir?'

'He even ordered a soda. I didn't think that he would like those either. And desert! Do you...yes Reno? What is it?'

'You were babbling about Rufus.'

'Babbling? I did no such thing. You asked how his training was going and I answered you.'

Reno shook his head, again disappointed in Tseng's obliviousness. 'I asked about his training, not about his lunch. Face it Tseng, you like him.'

'Well, he is rather intriguing. I was thinking of suggesting a Wutainese restaurant for lunch tomorrow after training. Think he'd go for it? He's said that he's never tried Wutain food and that he was curious about where I was from.' Tseng fell silent for a moment, realizing he was in fact, babbling about Rufus.

Embarrassed, he quickly tried to change the focus of the conversation from he and Rufus to just Rufus. 'What I meant was that we always go to the same place everyday. I wanted to change things up a bit and not fall into a rut. Besides, it would be good for Rufus to try food from different regions of the world and diversify his tastes.'

'Wow chief, you've got it bad.'

Tseng shook his head, 'I do not. I merely like his company, that's all.'

'Boss, when you're not training with him, you're thinking of the training session the next day or where you want to go for lunch with him. You're _always_ thinking about him. There's nothing wrong with saying that you have a crush on the Vice-President.' Reno added as an afterthought, 'For planet's sake, you're not the only one.'

'What does that mean "I'm not the only one"? Who else likes him?'

Reno laughed and turned away from his boss towards his office. 'Never mind chief, I don't need to hear say you like him. You just admitted it. If you'll excuse me, I'm off to work.'

Tseng stood dumbfounded in the hallway. It's just a small crush. _We're too different for each other._ He thought to himself, _But he is smart, funny and damn good looking though..._ Shaking himself from his thoughts, he walked to his office to try and do some actual work and try to forget about the blond.


End file.
